[ LETTER ]

America Was Never Christian

Published: Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 12:05 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, October 18, 2012 at 12:05 a.m.

In response to R.L. Jones ["Democrats Ignore Christ's Ideals," Oct. 13] and others purporting our government was established by Christians and Christian doctrine, this is patently untrue. The early presidents and patriots were generally Deists or Unitarians, believing in some form of impersonal providence but rejecting the divinity of Jesus and the absurdities of the Old and New testaments. Most of our Founding Fathers were not Christians.

The 1796 Treaty with Tripoli states that the United States was "not in any sense founded on the Christian religion." This was not an idle statement meant to satisfy Muslims — they believed it and meant it. It received unanimous ratification from the U.S. Senate on June 7, 1797, and was signed by President John Adams.

The claim that Thomas Jefferson was a Christian is false. Christians may think that just because he mentions "god" makes him a Christian. Jefferson absolutely believed in a god — but not the god of orthodox Christianity.

Thomas Paine was a Deist: "I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant Church nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church." Regarding the New Testament: "I hold [it] to be fabulous and have shown [it] to be false. ..."(Roberts, p. 375).

John Adams, the second U.S. president, rejected the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and became a Unitarian.

Why do Christians want the Founding Fathers to be Christians? It is because they hope that by demonstrating they were Christians, they can justify their political agenda. They seek to restore something they imagine has been lost. In reality, nothing has been lost. It wasn't there to start with. Therefore the whole concept of taking back America is a lie. America was never Christian.

<p>In response to R.L. Jones ["Democrats Ignore Christ's Ideals," Oct. 13] and others purporting our government was established by Christians and Christian doctrine, this is patently untrue. The early presidents and patriots were generally Deists or Unitarians, believing in some form of impersonal providence but rejecting the divinity of Jesus and the absurdities of the Old and New testaments. Most of our Founding Fathers were not Christians.</p><p>The 1796 Treaty with Tripoli states that the United States was "not in any sense founded on the Christian religion." This was not an idle statement meant to satisfy Muslims — they believed it and meant it. It received unanimous ratification from the U.S. Senate on June 7, 1797, and was signed by President John Adams.</p><p>The claim that Thomas Jefferson was a Christian is false. Christians may think that just because he mentions "god" makes him a Christian. Jefferson absolutely believed in a god — but not the god of orthodox Christianity.</p><p>Thomas Paine was a Deist: "I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant Church nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church." Regarding the New Testament: "I hold [it] to be fabulous and have shown [it] to be false. ..."(Roberts, p. 375).</p><p>John Adams, the second U.S. president, rejected the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and became a Unitarian.</p><p>Why do Christians want the Founding Fathers to be Christians? It is because they hope that by demonstrating they were Christians, they can justify their political agenda. They seek to restore something they imagine has been lost. In reality, nothing has been lost. It wasn't there to start with. Therefore the whole concept of taking back America is a lie. America was never Christian.</p><p>EDDIE SMITH</p><p>Lakeland</p>